Twenty-four African American churches in central NC were recruited and randomized to receive the special intervention (SI-13 churches, 117 participants) or the delayed intervention (DI-11 churches, 84 participants). The SI included an 8-month intensive phase consisting of: 1 individual dietary assessment and counseling visit; 12 group sessions; monthly phone contact with a peer counselor (church diabetes advisor (CDA)); and 3 printed encouragement messages from the primary care clinician. This was followed by a 4-month reinforcement phase including monthly phone contacts from the CDA. At 8- and 12-month follow-up, HbA1c was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography.